Solomon Islands Prime Minister Sogavare has announced a temporary moratorium on visits by foreign naval vessels after turning away a U.S Coast Guard Cutter last week.
Speaking at a ceremony welcoming hospital ship USNS Mercy (T-AH-19) to Honiara, Sogavare said that bureaucratic issues were behind the denial of diplomatic clearance to USCGC Oliver Henry (WPC-1140).
“Unfortunately, by the time the approval was communicated on the evening of 20th August 2022, the Ship’s captain had decided to leave our waters.” Sogavare said in statement.
The port call was routine, said National Security Council spokesman John Kirby during a press conference Tuesday. Oliver Henry planned to stop at Solomon Island to refuel and resupply, but after the U.S. did not receive diplomatic clearance in time, the ship diverted to Papua New Guinea.
“We’re disappointed in this decision,” Kirby said during the briefing. “While the lack of diplomatic clearance for the Oliver Henry was regrettable, however, the United States is pleased that the U.S. Navy ship Mercy – it’s a hospital ship – received diplomatic clearance and was able to take port in Solomon Islands on the 29th.”
While Solomon Islands took time to review its diplomatic clearance process, foreign partners had been asked to postpone upcoming naval visits until further notice, he said.
“To this end we have requested our partners to give us time to review and put in place our new processes before sending further requests for military vessels to enter the country,” Sogavare said. “Once the new mechanism is in place, we will inform you all. We anticipate the new process to be smoother and timelier.”
In a Tuesday statement, Solomon Islands government said that the new rules would apply to all visiting naval vessels.
“The government has asked all partner countries with plans to conduct naval visits or patrols to put them on hold until a revised national mechanism is in place,” according to a government statement “These will universally apply to all visiting naval vessels.”
U.S. hospital ship USNS Mercy (T-AH-19) has been exempted from the moratorium and is expected to remain in Solomon Islands for several weeks as part of Pacific Partnership 2022.
Fire erupted on board of container ship SHAMIM on Aug 31, she’s docked at Haydarpasa, Istanbul, since late 2021, understood under repairs. Firefighting teams and tug responded, fire in the aft section of the ship was extinguished. No other details available presently.
M1, one of Singapore’s leading Mobile Network Operators (MNO), August 30 announced that it will undertake an ambitious multi-year project that aims to provide ubiquitous 5G standalone (SA) offshore coverage for the Southern coast of Singapore, including the surrounding waters of the southern islands.
Extending 5G offshore coverage enhances connectivity in the larger maritime ecosystem and unlocks new use cases and applications. This is an important step in the maritime industry’s digital transformation efforts, and its goal of becoming the next engine of growth for Singapore.
In collaboration with, and co-funding from, the Maritime and Port Authority of Singapore (MPA) and the Infocomm Media Development Authority (IMDA), M1 will provide a 5G standalone (SA) network to trial, develop and deploy new maritime 5G use cases under the IMDA Innovation and Ecosystem Testbed Program and the MPA Innovation Lab – making this the world’s first public and largest Maritime testbed at sea.
The potential 5G use cases are targeted at enhancing the efficiency and safety of maritime operations and management. The use of 5G connectivity includes telemedicine to enable crew welfare at sea, delivery drones, maritime surveillance, and autonomous vessels, as well as remotely controlled task-based robots, such as ship inspection and autonomous fire-fighting robots, that are used for more dangerous and labor-intensive tasks.
Manjot Singh Mann, CEO of M1, said: “The launch of M1’s 5G standalone network provides low-latency, responsive, secured and high-throughput mobile connectivity to ensure more precise and reliable communications between the ships and the port.
“5G has the capability to resolve long-standing pain points and it will become the natural technology of choice for the maritime industry. As the first country to extend 5G standalone coverage to sea for maritime operations, M1 is excited to partner MPA and IMDA to co-develop 5G solutions that will not only transform the industry but benefit the whole of Singapore’s maritime economy.”
Many Filipinos dream of becoming seafarers. Hiring companies make it a point to highlight not only the economic benefits but also the chance to travel all over the world. The popular image of a seafarer is one of a healthy, clean-uniformed individual who gets to travel around the world meeting interesting people and being in glamorous locations.
Still, like other employments, working as a seafarer also has its share of problems, among them workplace bullying. Workplace bullying has become a difficult management problem as company turnovers increase when seafarers can no longer cope. Human resource departments ill-equipped to address cases of bullying tend to let incidents go unresolved.
Concerned Seafarers of the Philippines calling for a stop to bullying.
Racial discrimination, Asian seafarers face bullying
A veteran seafarer George Ramirez, 54, told Maritime Fairtrade that he experienced bullying in the early years of his career in the early 1990s. He used to work in the engine room of a cruise ship, but has since moved on to work on industrial freight ships.
“Maritime laws to regulate seafarers’ behavior were not strictly enforced in those days. I experienced bullying on board some of the ships I worked on, and I also heard of different stories from other seamen about how they got into fights when they stood up against bullies,” George said.
“On my first job as a seafarer, there were three of us who were Filipinos, and we were with Indonesians and Burmese. It was a new ship, and the higher officials were all white. We felt that those who were brown-skinned were treated differently, with less respect, compared to those who were white.”
George shared that there were times when Asian seafarers were not allowed to enter the pantry the white staff used, but the latter were allowed to freely enter and use the pantry that the Asians used.
“We also noticed how the ship kitchen staff kept the pantry used by the white seafarers well-stocked with cheese, fruit, and chocolates. In contrast, our pantry was practically empty – the refrigerator mostly had only water,” he recollected.
The treatment at work was also disheartening for George.
“My white supervisors would have me woken up very early even if I was off duty or during my rest hours, and they would also order me to fix them coffee or fetch something from the refrigerator. I was new on board, so I just went along with it,” he said.
George was also made to run personal errands for supervisors, including the captain and chief engineer, like washing their underwear and uniforms. What was even more difficult for George was not allowed to suggest recommendations at work, and whenever he made the smallest mistake, he was immediately yelled at and even cursed at.
“There were even times when I was slapped or punched,” he said.
Like George, other Asian crew members were subjected to bullying in the form of discrimination. During BBQ parties or other public gatherings, they were not invited to eat at the tables which were occupied mostly by white crew members.
“The rest of us Asians just got food and we took it elsewhere. The gatherings were supposed to be open to everyone, but it was hard to enjoy them when we were being treated like we were second or even third-class people,” George said.
Throughout those first years, George gritted his teeth and took all the bullying in stride. He said all he wanted was to keep his job.
“I considered the bullying as a challenge I just had to overcome,” he said. At the same, however, George prayed and hoped for changes. Change finally began to happen when a new captain came aboard the ship George was assigned to. The man appeared open to feedback, so George mustered his courage to finally speak out about how he and the other Asian seafarers were treated.
“I told the captain about the bullying and the discrimination we were often subjected to, and I spoke of all these in front of the white crewmen. I didn’t care what the white crewmen would say or do to me afterward, I just spoke out. It was a gamble on my part, but I thought either things could go worse or get better,” he said.
George’s gamble paid off. The new captain wrote a report on everything George said, with recommendations for stronger policies to be enforced against acts of bullying, whether verbal or physical. He sent the report to the manning agency as well as to the shipping company.
“The captain also called for a meeting of all the crew and announced that changes had to be made. He stood up for all of us Asian seafarers and said that the white crewmen should immediately change their behavior towards us or face sanctions,” he said.
The Chinese seafarer was on board the Isle of Man-flagged, bulker Berge Rishiri, which left Bluff in New Zealand early on 27 August morning. The crew member was last seen at 8am on the same day and failed to report for duty at 4pm.
Maritime New Zealand said the crew of the bulker had searched the vessel and retraced its route for any signs of the missing seafarer. A search of the Otaga coast was conducted by a rescue helicopter and a nearby vessel.
Local news reports quoted a cold-water survivability expert engaged by Rescue Coordination Centre New Zealand (RCCNZ) as saying they believed there was little chance a person could have survived. All search assets have been stood down.
Maritime Union of New Zealand National Secretary Craig Harrison said the country needed to do more to protect the welfare of international crews in its waters
“We would like to know how long the seafarer had been at sea and on duty and have assurances they were not kept on the vessel longer than their contracted period, as we have seen huge mental health issues with seafarers basically kept captive on vessels for months and sometimes years,” he said.
Harrison said the New Zealand authorities must carry out a full investigation into the incident.
The 2017-built, 37,152 dwt Bulk Rishiri, is owned and managed by Berge Bulk in Singapore.
Between 2015 – 2019 some 509 crew went missing at sea according to figures published by IHS Markit.
A United States Coast Guard vessel was unable to enter Solomon Islands for a routine port call because the Solomon Islands government did not respond to a request for it to refuel and provision, a U.S. official said.
The islands’ government did not immediately answer a Reuters request for comment. The Solomon Islands has had a tense relationship with the United States and its allies since striking a security pact with China in May.
The USCGC Oliver Henry was on patrol for illegal fishing in the South Pacific for a regional fisheries agency when it failed to obtain entry to refuel at Honiara, the Solomons’ capital, a U.S. Coast Guard press officer told Reuters in an emailed statement.
The U.S. vessel was diverted to Papua New Guinea instead, the official said.
The British navy declined to comment on social media reports that patrol vessel HMS Spey, also taking part in Operation Island Chief to monitor for illegal fishing in the economic exclusion zones of Fiji, Papua New Guinea, Solomon Islands and Vanuatu, was declined port access by the Solomon Islands.
“Ships’ programs are under constant review, and it is routine practice for them to change. For reasons of operational security we do not discuss details,” a Royal Navy spokesman said in an emailed statement.
The Solomons’ government and Beijing have ruled out a Chinese military base on the islands, although a leaked draft showed the security agreement would allow the Chinese navy to dock and replenish.
The fisheries agency for the Pacific Islands Forum, a block of 17 Pacific nations, has a maritime surveillance center in Honiara, and holds annual surveillance operations for illegal fishing with assistance from Australia, United States, New Zealand and France. read more
The USCGC Oliver Henry was scheduled for a routine logistics port call in the Solomon Islands, Kristin Kam, public affairs officer for the U.S. Coast Guard in Hawaii told Reuters in an emailed statement.
“The Government of the Solomon Islands did not respond to the U.S. Government’s request for diplomatic clearance for the vessel to refuel and provision in Honiara,” she said.
“The U.S. Department of State is in contact with the Government of the Solomon Islands and expect all future clearances will be provided to U.S. ships,” she added.
HMS Spey had Fiji navy officers on board as it worked alongside long-range maritime patrol aircraft from Australia and New Zealand and the US Coast Guard in the operation to gather information for the Pacific Islands Forum fisheries agency, the Royal Navy said in a statement on Thursday.
It carried out inspections of suspect vessels in ports as well as boardings at sea, the statement said.
The Royal Navy spokesman said it “looks forward to visiting the Solomon Islands at a later date”.
The Baltic Exchange’s main sea freight index fell for a fourth straight session on Tuesday as weakness in Chinese steel consumption took a toll on capesize demand, while rates for other vessel segments also retreated.
The overall index, which factors in rates for capesize, panamax and supramax shipping vessels, fell 65 points, or about 6%, to 1,017 points, a more than two-year low.
The capesize index fell for the fourth consecutive session, shedding 74 points, or about 18%, to 337 points, its lowest since early June 2020.
A sharp retraction in the overall trend brought about by the “deteriorating conditions faced in the steel market seems to have overshadowed and outplayed any seasonal hike that is typically seen at this point in the year,” Allied Shipping Research said in a weekly note.
“We can hardly expect any robust trend to emerge in the near term,” Allied added, referring to capesize demand from China.
Dalian and Singapore iron ore futures plummeted amid renewed worries over COVID-19 curbs and steel output restrictions in top producer China.
Average daily earnings for capesizes, which typically transport 150,000-tonne cargoes such as coal and steelmaking-ingredient iron ore, fell by $620 to $2,793.
The panamax index fell 88 points, or about 6.4%, to 1,284 points, on its worst day in over eight months. It also hit its lowest since late November 2020.
Average daily earnings for panamaxes, which usually carry coal or grain cargoes of about 60,000 to 70,000 tonnes, decreased by $788 to $11,556.
The supramax index fell for the third day, losing 53 points to 1,691 points, on its worst day in more than three weeks.
A ship carrying wheat from Ukraine to the drought-stricken Horn of Africa docked on Tuesday, the United Nations said, the first to make the journey since the Russian invasion six months ago.
The vessel Brave Commander is carrying 23,000 tonnes of grain and will soon be followed by another carrying 7,000 tonnes.
The total shipment, which will be unloaded in Djibouti and transported to Ethiopia, is enough to feed 1.5 million people for a month.
That barely begins to alleviate the problems of Eastern Africa, where the United Nations’ World Food Programme says extreme weather, surging food prices and conflict mean 82 million people need food aid across nine countries – Burundi, Djiouti, Ethiopia, Kenya, Rwanda, Somalia, South Sudan, Sudan and Uganda.
“This shipment, the first of many we hope, will allow WFP to deliver this grain to 1.53 million people in Ethiopia and cover their needs for a month. It’s a start but we must continue to keep the food flowing to save lives across the region,” said Michael Dunford, the WFP director for Eastern Africa.
Officials hope the successful voyage will inspire private companies to begin shipping grain from Ukraine to Eastern Africa, where rising global food prices and difficulties raising donor funding have forced the United Nations to cut rations for refugees and displaced people.
Among them are 150,000 Eritrean refugees sheltering in Ethiopia, many of whom have been repeatedly displaced by conflict in the north, whose rations were cut in June to half the recommended amount of food.
“It’s not enough food. People are hungry,” said one Eritrean refugee in Alem-Wach Camp in northern Ethiopia.
“They explained to us the reasons, because of war in Ukraine,” said the man, who declined to give his name. “But it is especially hard because it is so cold now… the situation is so difficult.”
While the shipment will help people displaced by conflict, none of it will be sold commercially, meaning it will not lower food prices for ordinary Ethiopians.
Russia and Ukraine usually supply 90% of wheat imported in East Africa.
The Russia-Ukraine conflict sent fertiliser and food prices soaring as Russia blockaded Ukrainian ports. Energy prices have also surged following Western sanctions on Russia, a major energy exporter.
Last month, the United Nations and Turkey brokered a deal between Moscow and Kyiv to unblock three Black Sea ports, making it possible to send hundreds of thousands of tonnes of Ukrainian grain to buyers.
Ukraine is strengthening the humanitarian part of the grain initiative, officials said. On Tuesday, the bulk carrier Karteria departed, carrying 37,500 tonnes of wheat for Yemen, where 16 million people are hungry.
A massive rescue operation was underway off the coast of Sweden on Monday. Swedish maritime authorities reported that a car ferry with almost 300 individuals on board caught on fire.
Jonas Franzen, the spokesman associated with Swedish Maritime Administration, told AFP that there was a fire on the car’s deck. He added that seven vessels and three helicopters were immediately dispatched, and an evacuation of the vessel had started.
There were no immediate reports of injuries, and the cause of the fire was not yet known.
Image for representation purpose only
Another spokeswoman named Lisa Mjorning informed AFP that the fire was in control.
The vessel, the Stena Scandica, was located off the island of Gotska Sandon on Sweden’s southeastern coast.
German shipbuilder Flensburger Schiffbau Gesellschaft (FSG) has signed a Memorandum of Understanding with Canada’s Oceanex Inc. that will see the two companies develop a highly efficient climate neutral ConRo (container RO/RO) vessel.
Oceanex Inc. provides intermodal transportation services to the province of Newfoundland and Labrador and the new ConRo design will be critical to its future vessel replacement planning for its current three-ship fleet.
The MoU was signed during a high level German trade mission to Canada in which FSG managing director Philipp Maracke participated at the invitation of German Chancellor Olaf Scholz. It was co-signed by Maracke and Oceanex executive chairman Captain Sid Hynes in the presence of the German Federal Minister Minister for Economic Affairs and Climate Action Dr. Robert Habeck and Canada’s Minister of Natural Resources Jonathan Wilkinson.
Together, the partners intend to investigate the utilization of alternative fuels, such as ammonia, methanol, synthetic and biofuels as well as hydrogen, and the technologies based on them in relation to Oceanex’s Atlantic Canada operational area. The central approach of FSG is a comprehensive life-cycle analysis that links long-term economic and ecological perspectives already in the planning stage.
“As a shipyard, we have ambitious goals to become a major pillar of the energy transition. FSG has already positioned itself as an innovation leader for low-emission ship designs in the past,” says Maracke. “Building on our references and expertise, we want to be a driver when it comes to energy transition in shipping.”
“Our customers rely on Oceanex to provide competitive, reliable, and sustainable transportation services,” says Hynes. “Doing so with environmental leadership is top of mind, so building our fleet of vessels to ensure we’re leveraging the latest technologies and the most environmentally friendly fuel sources is critical for Oceanex. Partnering with FSG will allow us to do just that.”
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